diff --git a/erddapy/objects/__init__.py b/erddapy/objects/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9101d851
--- /dev/null
+++ b/erddapy/objects/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+"""
+This module contains opinionated, higher-level objects for searching servers and accessing datasets.
+
+It is named 'objects' after object-relational mapping, which is the concept of having an object-oriented
+layer between a database (in this case, ERDDAP), and the programming language.
+"""
+
+
+from objects import (
+    ERDDAPConnection,
+    ERDDAPDataset,
+    ERDDAPServer,
+    GridDataset,
+    TableDataset,
+)
+
+__all__ = [
+    "ERDDAPDataset",
+    "ERDDAPConnection",
+    "ERDDAPServer",
+    "TableDataset",
+    "GridDataset",
+]
diff --git a/erddapy/objects/objects.py b/erddapy/objects/objects.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..043e001b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/erddapy/objects/objects.py
@@ -0,0 +1,187 @@
+"""Main module of the 'objects' subpackage containing most classes."""
+
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Dict, Union
+
+StrLike = Union[str, bytes]
+FilePath = Union[str, Path]
+
+
+class ERDDAPConnection:
+    """
+    Manages connection that will be used in ERDDAPServer instances.
+
+    While most ERDDAP servers allow connections via a bare url, some servers may require authentication
+    to access data.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, server: str):
+        """Initialize instance of ERDDAPConnection."""
+        self._server = self.to_string(server)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def to_string(cls, value):
+        """Convert an instance of ERDDAPConnection to a string."""
+        if isinstance(value, str):
+            return value
+        elif isinstance(value, cls):
+            return value.server
+        else:
+            raise TypeError(
+                f"Server must be either a string or an instance of ERDDAPConnection. '{value}' was "
+                f"passed.",
+            )
+
+    def get(self, url_part: str) -> StrLike:
+        """
+        Request data from the server.
+
+        Uses requests by default similar to most of the current erddapy data fetching functionality.
+
+        Can be overridden to use httpx, and potentially aiohttp or other async functionality, which could
+        hopefully make anything else async compatible.
+        """
+        pass
+
+    def open(self, url_part: str) -> FilePath:
+        """Yield file-like object for access for file types that don't enjoy getting passed a string."""
+        pass
+
+    @property
+    def server(self) -> str:
+        """Access the private ._server attribute."""
+        return self._server
+
+    @server.setter
+    def server(self, value: str):
+        """Set private ._server attribute."""
+        self._server = self.to_string(value)
+
+
+class ERDDAPDataset:
+    """Base class for more focused table or grid datasets."""
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        dataset_id: str,
+        connection: str | ERDDAPConnection,
+        variables,
+        constraints,
+    ):
+        """Initialize instance of ERDDAPDataset."""
+        self.dataset_id = dataset_id
+        self._connection = ERDDAPConnection(ERDDAPConnection.to_string(connection))
+        self._variables = variables
+        self._constraints = constraints
+        self._meta = None
+
+    @property
+    def connection(self) -> ERDDAPConnection:
+        """Access private ._connection variable."""
+        return self._connection
+
+    @connection.setter
+    def connection(self, value: str | ERDDAPConnection):
+        """Set private ._connection variable."""
+        self._connection = ERDDAPConnection(ERDDAPConnection.to_string(value))
+
+    def get(self, file_type: str) -> StrLike:
+        """Request data using underlying connection."""
+        return self.connection.get(file_type)
+
+    def open(self, file_type: str) -> FilePath:
+        """Download and open dataset using underlying connection."""
+        return self.connection.open(file_type)
+
+    def get_meta(self):
+        """Request dataset metadata from the server."""
+        self._meta = None
+
+    @property
+    def meta(self):
+        """Access private ._meta attribute. Request metadata if ._meta is empty."""
+        return self.get_meta() if (self._meta is None) else self._meta
+
+    @property
+    def variables(self):
+        """Access private ._variables attribute."""
+        return self._variables
+
+    @property
+    def constraints(self):
+        """Access private ._constraints attribute."""
+        return self._constraints
+
+    def url_segment(self, file_type: str) -> str:
+        """Return URL segment without the base URL (the portion after 'https://server.com/erddap/')."""
+        pass
+
+    def url(self, file_type: str) -> str:
+        """
+        Return a URL constructed using the underlying ERDDAPConnection.
+
+        The URL will contain information regarding the base class server info, the dataset ID,
+        access method (tabledap/griddap), file type, variables, and constraints.
+
+        This allows ERDDAPDataset subclasses to be used as more opinionated URL constructors while still
+        not tying users to a specific IO method.
+
+        Not guaranteed to capture all the specifics of formatting a request, such as if a server requires
+        specific auth or headers.
+        """
+        pass
+
+    def to_dataset(self):
+        """Open the dataset as xarray dataset by downloading a subset NetCDF."""
+        pass
+
+    def opendap_dataset(self):
+        """Open the full dataset in xarray via OpenDAP."""
+        pass
+
+
+class TableDataset(ERDDAPDataset):
+    """Subclass of ERDDAPDataset specific to TableDAP datasets."""
+
+    def to_dataframe(self):
+        """Open the dataset as a Pandas DataFrame."""
+
+
+class GridDataset(ERDDAPDataset):
+    """Subclass of ERDDAPDataset specific to GridDAP datasets."""
+
+    pass
+
+
+class ERDDAPServer:
+    """Instance of an ERDDAP server, with support to ERDDAP's native functionalities."""
+
+    def __init__(self, connection: str | ERDDAPConnection):
+        """Initialize instance of ERDDAPServer."""
+        self._connection = ERDDAPConnection(ERDDAPConnection.to_string(connection))
+
+    @property
+    def connection(self) -> ERDDAPConnection:
+        """Access private ._connection attribute."""
+        return self._connection
+
+    @connection.setter
+    def connection(self, value: str | ERDDAPConnection):
+        """Set private ._connection attribute."""
+        self._connection = ERDDAPConnection(ERDDAPConnection.to_string(value))
+
+    def full_text_search(self, query: str) -> Dict[str, ERDDAPDataset]:
+        """Search the server with native ERDDAP full text search capabilities."""
+        pass
+
+    def search(self, query: str) -> Dict[str, ERDDAPDataset]:
+        """
+        Search the server with native ERDDAP full text search capabilities.
+
+        Also see ERDDAPServer.full_text_search.
+        """
+        return self.full_text_search(query)
+
+    def advanced_search(self, **kwargs) -> Dict[str, ERDDAPDataset]:
+        """Search server with ERDDAP advanced search capabilities (may return pre-filtered datasets)."""
+        pass